3 Things God Can't Do

I cringed writing this title. It just makes my skin crawl, the idea that God can't do something. Isn't that saying He's not all-powerful? But really, it's not a lessening of God's might that He can't/doesn't do these things, but rather a reassurance of the goodness and holiness of His character, and of just how powerful He is.


1. He can't lie

"Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" ~ Titus 1:1-2 NKJV

Depending on the translation you use, this verse either says "cannot," doesn't," "can't," or some other variable of the same thing. The idea across them all is the same: lying is not something God does, it's not even in His nature. 

Unlike us, who sometimes struggle to tell the truth, who find lying much easier, God cannot and will not ever lie to us. Everything we read in the Bible, we can take as solid truth. God never wrote something in there that is a lie. He didn't lie about the free gift of salvation. He didn't lie about His holiness, or our own sinfulness. He didn't lie about His love for us, or how He's ever willing to forgive our sins and help us overcome them.

2. He can't change

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" ~ Hebrews 13:8

God's stance on sin has been the same throughout the ages, and always will be. God has always been all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, ever-present, and always will be.

This is great news! We don't need to worry that God will decide one day that Jesus' blood isn't enough to cover our sins. We don't need to worry that there may be some other "scripture" out there that tells us what God wants us to do in the 21st century. God's Word is God's Final Word. There are no updates to the Bible. There are no additions, no subtractions. Once the Bible was completed, that was it. There are no contradictions in God's Word.*

And God will never stop being all-powerful, all-knowing, etc. He doesn't change. The day will never come that He is no longer with us because He is no longer omnipresent. We never have to worry that He will grow weak and be dethroned by another "stronger god." We never have to worry that He doesn't know what's going on in our lives anymore. He never changes.

It's interesting to note that cult writings (at least all of the ones I'm aware of), even though they may claim to believe in God and be following Jesus, directly contradict pieces of Scripture. If something or someone tries to contradict or "update" the Bible, you can be confident it's not of God.


3. He can't lose

"Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" ~ 2 Timothy 1:9-10 

God has already won the battle with Satan. There isn't some war being waged over whether Jesus's sacrifice is going to be enough to redeem us from hell. His blood is enough. Jesus offers the free gift of salvation to any one who will accept it.

There is still a very real spiritual battle going on over souls, but the results are already in. God is victorious, and those who repent and place their faith in Him will get to worship at His feet forever. Whereas Satan and his followers, including those who refuse to repent, will be cast into an eternal pit of fire, an eternal dungeon, forever.

The final battle's already been won. The only question left for each of us is whose side we're going to be on.


What are your thoughts? Do you think there are some things Gods can't do? Or are you shaking your head and thinking "WHY DID I READ THIS?" Share in the comments below!


*Now there are some places where it looks like there might be contradictions, By careful study, though, you can see that those passages really aren't contradictions of each other, but instead different explanations/nuances. For example, the book of James makes it sound like salvation is through works, rather than grace. But in reality James is explaining how true faith is evidenced by works, rather than that works save (I believe Pastor John MacArthur delves into this issue in one of his sermons).